Tony Ringer accepted a plea deal in the death of Cassandra Betts, but was back in court on a technicality. That forced her family to see him again, and relive their nightmare from nearly 13 years ago.

Ringer shot and killed Cassandra Betts in her car in December 2000. Her body was left in her car in the parking lot of a Woodlawn auto repair shop. Also in the car was Cassandra’s 7-year-old daughter, Justyce. She stayed in the car through the night.

Ringer accepted a plea deal in 2002, and the victim’s family agreed to it to avoid a trial.

But Ringer filed an appeal of that sentence. The appeals court denied most of his legal arguments, but ordered that the judge should have read him some information about his post-release control during sentencing.

Ringer was in court on that technicality.

It was an emotional day for Barbaranne Irving, Cassandra’s mother. She says the only reason they accepted the plea was to avoid seeing Ringer in court again, “and what did we just see -- him back in this court house.”

Adding to the frustration -- Irving wasn’t notified about the hearing by the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office. Apparently, they did not have updated contact information for her, a situation that’s since been corrected. Despite that, Betts' family came out in force at Thursday’s hearing.

For Irving, this hearing on what is essentially a legal technicality feels like a continuing victimization.

“It’s terrible to see him again after 13 years and then to see that he has the right once again to continue to do this,” Irving said.

The hearing was also emotional for Betts' daughter, Justyce Martin. The 7-year-old girl who was left overnight with her mother’s body is now 19. She said she had planned to visit Ringer in prison soon, to ask him why he killed her mother.

Instead, her first encounter with him came on Ringer’s terms -- not hers.

Martin described the moment she saw him walking down the courthouse hallway today: “I was disgusted. I was angry. I’m at the point where I can’t really say anything because I’m so worked up.”

She said she wants to know the reason behind the murder. “Everybody has told me the reason why he did it,” Martin said, “but I never got the explanation from him. I never got to talk to him personally myself.”

Martin said she will never forgive Ringer.

Judge Nadine Allen was assigned Ringer’s case, but did not realize that she knew Betts and her family. She recused herself from the case because of that personal connection.

“We’re having to relive this over and over as a family, and I don’t know how much my family can take – he’s already destroyed us,” Irving said.

Ringer’s case was reassigned and he was re-sentenced to 21 years in prison. The judge made sure to read all sentencing information to Ringer.